"Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching." Proverbs 1:8
Teaching is such an integral part of who we are as believers. This topic summons up all kinds of important illustrations of how important it is that we communicate the character of God in everything we teach. We all teach in one way or another. The
scripture is clear; to be a teacher is serious business. We must take very seriously the content of what we present to others as the truth. Of course, the only accurate source of truth from which to teach is The Word.
When we teach, we must always remember that it is the Holy Spirit who actually conveys truth. We are the vessels or tools through which His Spirit speaks to the Spirit of other believers. That is why teaching those who don’t know Christ is so fruitless. In order to teach truth, you must know the Truth in a personal relationship. In order to be teachable, you must first have the Truth in you, so that your understanding of it will grow.
What kind of a teacher are you? What do others learn from you? What are you illustrating with your life? As we understand the Truth (The Word) better and better, we then become better teachers.
The most effective way to teach is by example. Christ was the perfect example and the ultimate teacher. He is the Way the Truth and the Life. Therefore, the best way to portray the truth is to emulate Him. We hope others see Him in what we teach.
Sometimes we get hung up on words as the sole vehicle of teaching. Sometimes what we are doing speaks so loudly people can't hear what we are saying. Many times I think that the more profound I am the more I am teaching, but more than not, the simpler and clearer I am, the more I truly teach.
When the disciples came to Jesus and called Him Rabbi (Teacher), He always spoke the truth in love. Even when He had convicting things to say. When we teach, we should always remember to remind our students that it is by the power of the Holy Spirit that we communicate. The most appropriate things I say are what the Spirit prompts not what the mind thinks.
We all have so much to learn. Those of us who are teachers must be students, too. How often little children have even taught us things. Children can teach too. Teachers should be appreciated. Whenever we learn, we should thank God for the understanding and for the person He used to teach us. I hope I'm as good a student as I am a teacher, for that makes me a better teacher.
My prayer for our church family is that He will use each one to teach each other His Truth from His Word. May we learn the Truth that sets us free.
Pastor Fred
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Well, you've gone and done it again. Less than an hour ago, I was writing a letter to someone close to me and stopped midway through. "I'll come back to it later after I make sure I'm sayig what God wants me to say" I thought. The truth of the matter, however, was that I felt inadequate to be saying the things I was. I was afraid the person would think I was coming off "preachy," and though preachy in and of itself isn't a bad thing, it becomes bad if we preach without having the knowledge behind our words. Plus, "who am I to be preaching anything?" I wondered. Well, the truth of that particular situation is that the person to whom I was writing has only recently given her life to God and I only gave my own away less than five years ago, so would she even believe that I knew what I was talking about...
ReplyDeleteInstead of a letter to her in which my words might become too many, I think I'll just keep showing her how God loves her. I'll show instead of write, and because I just realized how your post helped me make a decision about my next course of action, I thank you much! What a blessing you always are!